Shards of a Dream
by Sesshochan1
Summary: A Fanfic using the Kingdom Hearts ideas and inspirations, but little to no characters from the series... All charas original. Mitsumi, Sukane, and Ran must battle their way through foreign and strange worlds to find their friends, get home and remember wh
1. Chapter 1

(This is a story I was writing mainly for my friends, but I thought it might be fun putting it up on The word processor I use is strange, so I'm not sure if the punctuation will be correct on the internet… I don't know how to fix it if it's wrong ;;; sorry, so if there's quotation marks or ellipses missing, blame the internet…. -.- Most of the characters in this have been based off real people… :D Hopefully you might meet them someday.)

Chapter 1

She usually felt as she was waking: a strange misty feeling enveloping the world. In those trembling moments between dreams and reality, she could feel it. She knew it was there; it was palpable. She could almost see it. A great door with millions of diamonds behind it, all shining in a great foggy dew, dim light surrounding it there. That place… that was the place where they had to go…. To find… to find what they had lost…. A memory of laughter, somewhere distant, like the land just beyond the horizon. That place was where they belonged. But just as the map had been revealed in the twilight of consciousness, the sallow paper was burnt away leaving ashes and awakening. The mystery and magic would grow unclear and out of focus, reality would flow towards like the water in a dam overtaking a small boat. In the last moment of drowsiness, a familiar face swam in her mind. "Don't cry…" A soothing voice echoed from the depths. A comforting smile appeared to her along with a strange warmth, outlined by bitter cold rain. Suddenly, this kind visage was stolen by the gloom. She was falling. Faster and faster she plummeted until….

Ryokou Mitsumi opened her eyes. The lavender ceiling came into focus as her heart remained pounding in her chest. Another bizarre dream. She sat up with a sigh and rubbed her temple. Waking up feeling tired was just part of the routine of a student. She gazed wearily around at her room, taking in the familiar colors. She stared for a moment at the treasures she'd taken her time collecting. A Seashell, a doll or two, a big yellow lamp shaped like a star. As she lay back down to take a moment to rest before her mother's shrill voice roused her, a loud ringing beside her ear made her jump. She scooped up her cell-phone and answered it promptly, hopping out from under the fluffy, powder-blue comforter and over to the dresser where she began to slip into her school uniform.

"Sukane-Chan?"

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Ishikawa Sukane thundered down her stairs, dragging a heavy schoolbag behind her. She nearly tumbled over a misplaced stack of books and practically flew towards the front door.

"BYE MOM!" She bellowed into the depths of her home. A faint noise answered back as she wrenched the door open and slammed it behind her. Her wild, spiky hair came to life in the late summer breeze as Sukane dashed madly off her front porch and down the path to school. Darting between pedestrians and shooting through alleyways, she weeded her way through the quiet residential sleepiness. She gasped almost as she burst out of a dark back street into the blazing, island sunshine. The white light glimmered off the cerulean blue sea. The overpowering scent of the ocean, and the sound of the gulls through the swaying of palm trees washed over her. Wiping her forehead exasperatedly at the approaching heat, Sukane sped down the paved road following the shoreline. The school was a mere speck in the distance, could she even hope to get there on time. Gasping for air, she willed her legs to move faster. All at once Sukane collided with another force with a tremendous _Thunk_.

The other 'something' went careening backwards with a great yell. Sukane caught her balance deftly and stared forward at the person on the ground. She gritted her teeth and moaned when she saw who it was.

"Oh my…" She giggled. "Did I hurt you, A-" She stopped at once. For a moment, she felt ice cold and paralyzed. As a wave of confusion swept over her, a single image of the boy's face flashed in her mind. But he was different somehow, he was….

She shook her head violently and the feeling disappeared as suddenly as it had washed over her.

"Sorry," She extended a hand to the skinny boy on the floor who was fixing his glasses as he lurched forward. "Kazune-kun, are you all right?"

Aomori Kazune opened his eyes wide, staring up at his friend. He put his hand in hers and hoisted himself back onto his feet.

"Man, Sukane. You should watch where you're going when you go tearing around like a wild animal." He grinned at her tough expression.

"Stupid Kazune, let's hurry, we're already late!" She yanked his wrist forward as he tried to smooth his spiky hair.

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Yamamoto Ran stood impatiently against the crème colored school building, rhythmically tapping her foot on the cobbled ground. She stood sentential at the entrance of the school building, waiting for her friends to arrive; late as usual. She still didn't know why she bothered to wait for them every morning. Peeking at her wristwatch, she clicked her tongue heatedly.

The sky was a clear blue, dotted here and there with a few enormous clouds. The humid air hung around her and the heat was already getting intense. The greenery that grew around the school's entrance was lush and wild. As Ran squinted she spotted a few figures along the distance. She hoped that the ambling group would hurry up so she could get out of this heat and into the cool classroom. Suddenly, the world became dark. A voice then chorused "Guess who?" into her ear. She testily removed the hands from her face and spun on her heel, finding herself face to face with Asakura Jin.

"Aww, that's not how you play the game." Jin smiled wryly back at her. She shook her head and had to smile back.

"Have you seen Mitsumi or Sukane yet?" She asked politely. Jin's thin eyes became even smaller and his fine hair shifted slightly.

"I don't think they're here yet." She pondered, running his long fingers through his hair.

"Who's not here?"

They both turned and saw the speaker, Hirasawa Norito, a good looking, popular boy with his best friend, the shy and quiet Matakura Shinta, and behind him Mitsumi.

"Cousin!" Ran. exclaimed She grabbed Mitsumi by the shoulders and shook her playfully, Mitsumi's short brown hair becoming even messier. "Why do you always get here so late?" Mitsumi giggled a bit.

"Well, I found Shinta along the way and I had to stop and say hi!" She blinked and smiled, looking pale in the bright sunlight. Shinta frowned silently and adjusted the black frames of his glasses, staring at his feet. "Come on! We're late!" She gasped, pulling Shinta and Norito forward by their ties. The large group barged through the deep-colored oak doors and into the entrance hall.

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"Aggh, I lost again!" Matsuo Yukiko shouted, grasping her blonde hair between her fingers. Saeta Riri laughed out loud, slapping the piece of paper between them.

"Told you!" Riri held a joyful expression. Her dark ponytail swung behind the pink bow in her hair. "I'm the tic-tac-toe champion." Yukiko groaned and slumped back in her chair, her full-formed chest bouncing from the movement. At once, the near empty classroom burst into a catastrophe of noise as a number of students slammed the door opened and rushed inside.

"How could you guys just leave us!" Wailed Sukane at her two closest friends, Kazune trailing behind her, looking stony faced as Mitsumi and Ran tried for an excuse. Shinta had retreated to his desk and astutely readied himself for the approaching lesson. Norito sat beside him and jovially pestered Shinta about being such a 'rule-follower'. Jin waved a greeting to everyone in the room, making his way around busily, eager to be seen by all. In the dusty corner a boy named Kato Kouji sat in dead silence, scribbling something to himself on a piece of parchment. The classroom was alive and bustling, the cheerful morning light pouring in from the crystal clear windows. The salty sea air made everything sticky and fragrant. Outside the waves crashed merrily against the shore and children played in the crush. Loud voices were heard throughout the crowded room, pierced by an occasional shriek of laughter or the pounding of rushing feet. Through the noise of the bustling actives of all the students in the room, not one head turned when a stranger slid open the door and swept inside.

This stranger was clothed in heavy black coat which covered every inch of himself. His face was shrouded with a thick black scarf and the top part of his face was clouded with his wispy, ebony hair. She smiled behind his scarf and looked almost scathingly at the carefree bunch. A cold laugh seeped from his thin, smiling lips as he stepped in even intervals towards the front of the classroom, his leather boots thumping on the hollow wooden floor. An odd hush began to cloud across as the man ambled past the battered wooden desk, grazing his gloved hand over their worn tops. By the time he stood facing the assembly of now-alert teenagers an icy silence had fallen over the room, chilling the tropical heat.

"Are you a substitute teacher?" Jin blurted out, everyone glancing at him. Several nervous smiles cracked onto faces. Mitsumi's heart pounded in her chest. Something wasn't right. This didn't feel normal.

"You've all been asleep for much, much too long…." The stranger's voice cut through the air like the crack of a whip. Mitsumi felt even stranger. A red flag went p inside of her. She stood up and backed towards the wall, grabbing Sukane's hand.

"Something's about to happen…" She hissed in Sukane's ear. Sukane turned a white face to her and nodded in approval. The understanding between them allowed the knowledge that they were both experiencing the same abnormalities.

"Can you even remember your true names?"

His deep voice rang through the wooden room. That strong feeling of dreamlike déjà vu hit Mitsumi strong. _Don't cry…_

The soothing voice spoke to her again. This time she saw the visage clearer; a man's face… That was….

"His name was…" Sukane mumbled beside her. Mitsumi cast an urging glance in her direction, but the word has slipped from Sukane's mind already. All at once Ran stood up, her eyes wide as though she were focusing hard on something very far off.

"There was this place… And…" Her voice shook and the stranger nodded. A vein of uneasiness ran throughout the room now. Everyone was shooting wary looks in one another's directions. Mitsumi caught Shinta's eye and he shrugged. Norito backed up towards the wall and clumsily jarred Sukane, catching her apologetically by the shoulders.

"What's going on…?" Yukiko whispered to Kazune with a sideways glance. Riri shifted her gaze from Yukiko to Kouji in the corner, who was sitting bolt upright in his chair, grasping the sides. Jin, who was still looking about the room madly suddenly stared directly at the tall stranger. He squealed suddenly and retreated to the back of the class, holding Ran in front of him like a shield.

"The time has come for you all…." The stranger spoke darkly as he reached into a small pouch on his side. He grasped a handful of something and held it out before them. It was a powder that looked at if it were wrought from ground diamonds and crystals. "To open your eyes!" He cut the air with his outstretched arm and flung the powder towards the ceiling.

"RUN!" Norito commanded the students. He leapt forth and fiercely grasped the door handle, but it would not budge. As Norito tugged at it ferociously, the others began to stir from their positions and react. The air was buzzing with an urgency to escape. The powder hung suspended in the air, diffusing around the room and hanging in the air like miniature stars. Mitsumi choked as she peered outside. The playful scene that had once been visible through the window was now dark and hazy. All the children had disappeared and an ominously ugly eclipse had taken the place of the bright sun. She watched wide-eyed as streaks of light flashed along the sky, like wild meteors and rain from the heavens. A crash through the jumble of voices shook her back to reality. The door swung open and Norito roared victoriously.

"Hurry up!" He shouted at the rest of them, waving his hand towards the door and charging out. Sukane made for the door. She swung around to alert Mitsumi and Ran.

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" She waved to them as she charged out into the hall. Mitsumi seemed to be in a daze. Dreamily she turned towards the front, seeing Ran and Jin escape through the open door out of the corner of her eye. What chiefly grasped her attention was that the stranger who had started the commotion had completely disappeared without a sound. As Yukiko and Riri ran towards the door way the beam behind it jarringly came loose and crashed behind it, blocking the exit. Kouji cursed darkly to himself and Kazune rushed up to the destruction, feeling for a way out. Shinta stood abruptly and grasped a nearby chair. Seeming unsure of himself he hurried up to the window.

"Stand back." He uttered, looking pale. He leaned back slowly and hurled the chair through the window, a shower of tinkling glass raining down outside. Kazune, Shinta and Kouji helped the three girls out of the window then climbed down themselves.

The school was situated on a high ledge overlooking the ocean. The craggy cliff the stood on was a dizzying height from the sparkling sand. The high wind, violent waves and apocalyptic sky all combined were enough to strike terror into anyone's heart.

"What's happening?" Yukiko gasped as they all inched along the feeble, grassy ledge, backs pressed flat against the mild colored school building. Kazune shook his head at her and shot a nervous look at the darkening sky. His expression changed a bit and his glasses slumped down his nose.

"Look at that…" He nearly whispered, gesturing forebodingly towards the sky. Pools of black matter were plummeting from the sky. The debris that crashed into the churning sea transformed the water into a dirty soup of thick liquid. It landed on roads and trees, sapping the color and life out of everything. Riri noticed a heap of the stuff nearby. She squinted into it and noticed what looked like a small galaxy of stars buried deep within the blackness, which seemed to become a part of whatever it touched. She reached out with a shaking hand to touch it and Kouji caught her by the wrist.

"You don't know what could happen." His low voice seemed to shake her. She stared with some fear into the dark eyes behind his sunglasses. Underneath Yukiko's feet a heart-stopping sound erupted. The feeble ground broke away and she slipped down, a rock cutting an angry gash in her leg. As she slid, the earth coming loose beneath her, her fingers gripped the sides of the ledge. She gave a loud wail as more earth began to give way. Kazune leapt forward and grabbed her hand, but it was too late. The two of them went dropping off the edge at an alarming rate, the breath lost from everyone's chest. Yukiko grasped Kazune's arm as the slid down the long hill, rocks and dust flying everywhere. At the ravine, Yukiko flew off and went shooting into a long dark hole at the bottom of the ledge. Kazune then rolled right beside it, trying to grasp the earth which gave way under his fingers. He finally reached the sand and rolled straight into the ocean on the built up momentum. The dark pools in the ocean began to spread around him as he swum frantically away. He gritted his teeth. As it closed in around him. The only thing the others could do was watch as their friend was swallowed by the sea.

"Yukiko!" He uttered, looking up with a strained countenance at the deep, dark hole in which she had vanished. Soon the ocean rose and Kazune was lost underneath the raging waves. The other four stared at one another, crazed with fear.

"Let's get a move on…" Kouji finally spoke, pushing his glasses up to hide his eyes.

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Sukane and Ran sped along the island trial with Jin and Norito leading the way. Ran grasped Sukane's hand, pulling her along quickly both of them out of breath.

"Where are we _going_?" Ran gasped.

"It doesn't matter, we've got to get away!" Norito commanded, sounding desperate. Jin whined with nervousness, his hair flowing behind him. The ran up the familiar path, not even stopping to take in the strange surroundings. Something strange was happening to Sukane as she followed along the path, grasping Ran's hand. All the memories this place had held were suddenly slipping away from her. IT was as if they were being drained slowly. She couldn't remember the town's name, she couldn't remember where her house was or when she had come to this place.

"Ran, do you remember anything about this place?" She panted, her eyes revealing a dull fear. Ran pursed her lips and stopped running. The other two screeched to a halt in front of her, asking what had happened.

"Of course I remember…. It's…." She suddenly looked dumbfounded.

"What are you talking about?" Jin said slowly, his voice sounding foreign.

"All our memories…" Norito breathed heavily, gazing at the chaotic sky. "Their… gone…"

"No!" Ran exclaimed. "I remember something about a hill! Something… someone was there….and…" Her voice dropped off with a whine. Jin suddenly faced the cobbled pathway and sighed. Then at once he raced off towards the forest with unnatural speed. "Jin, wait!" Ran called after her, following close behind. Sukane prepared to tear off after them, but felt a hand on her shoulder, holding her back with a strong force.

"What's wrong with you, don't touch me!" She raged at Norito, yanking his heavy hand from her shoulder. As she turned to confront him, her ire suddenly dripped away to crimson panic.

Out of the colorless gloom which had come from the angry moon, dark creatures rose twitching and shaking. They had two empty glowing eyes below a pair of ragged antennas. Their hands were malformed and clawed and they crawled lithely on all fours. They were completely black with the two moon-like eyes glowering out of their round heads.

Sukane gasped and made to back up, but saw more of the strange creatures had surrounded them. She balled up her fists, not wanting to go out of this world without a fight. Norito seemed to have the same reaction. As the first creature lunged at Sukane, its jagged claws poised for an attack, a glowing warmth flared up across the inside of Sukane's palm. With a shocked cry, she shut her eyes tight, preparing herself for the pain. Then, with a surge of even greater surprise, her eyelids snapped open and she stumbled back, her heart racing at a phenomenal speed. She now was grasping a long weapon in her hands. It had an ornate handle and was scarlet and white. The long handle ended off at a blade-like knife at the very end. Without taking a moment longer, Sukane swung it at the nearest creature and it disintegrated in a cloud of dirty smoke. The sounds behind her made Sukane turn around. Another weapon had arose into Norito's hand and he was also fighting with valor. He glanced over his shoulder at Sukane's confused expression and gave a playful grin and he hewed off another's head which vanished in a cloud. Sukane was just about to give him a smile in return when, with a ground-shaking boom, a heap of dark matter exploded onto the earth, splattering Norito. The gallant joy fleeted from his face and he became pale.

Sukane battered some attackers out of her way before rushing to Norito's side. He seemed to be sinking into the ground, frantically trying to wipe the growing blackness on his body. When he saw there was no hope, his expression became one of rage.

"I refuse to go down like this!" He bellowed, sinking farther underground, the darkness covering nearly all his chest. His face suddenly relaxed and he looked Sukane directly in the eye. She choked at his look. "If you see Shinta, tell him I said goodbye…" He muttered limply. He gave a last pathetic smile to Sukane and waved a sort of goodbye and disappeared entirely into the darkness. Sukane looked around wildly, trying to find a method of escape. The darkness was growing around her and the creatures were rising faster than she could hope to push them back. She felt the sharp prickles on her legs and sunk to her knees, angry tears running hot on her cheek. As the needle sharp claws and feet pressed into her, she heard that name echoed in the back of her mind. It seemed pointless to say it now, but as soon as she remembered, the darkness and heat was too overpowering to remember for good. At once a white flash of light cleared Sukane's mind and she fell into a dream.

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Mitsumi and Shinta watched helpless as a group of malevolent hands and claws pulled a flailing Kouji and Riri into a mound of gloom, swirling with bright dots. Mitsumi sunk to her knees, about to cry out, but Shinta slapped a hand over her mouth preventing the sound's escape.

"They'll find us too.." His whisper was harsh, but his hand relaxed and fell to his side. His eyes were scared behind his glasses. She nodded, still shaking and rose from behind the trees. They both slunk silently away from the seething group of ebony soldiers and into the building darkness of the evening.

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Jin tore through the dense forest trees, batting the thick tendrils and plant life from his uncontrolled path. He heard footsteps behind him thundering and an occasional rustling in the underbrush around him, but he never stopped to look.

"Jin! Jin, you idiot! Stop!" Ran called after him, her voice growing harsh. She dug her heels into the soft earth beneath and came to a sudden halt. A yelp from Jin ahead left her standing in high strung silence, her heart pounding furiously in her chest. She swallowed, her eyes darting about the forest for signs of danger.

"Jin?" She spoke out warily, her feet sliding carefully amongst the weeds and tall grass. She shivered from anxiety and cold. "Jin, say something..!" Something red was visible through the tall grass. She crouched low and picked it up between her index finger and thumb. It was Jin's school tie. A spatter of something dark was dotted across the satin and the tie was torn across the side. Ran grasped it in her hands and suppressed the wave of panic within her. A heavy crunching noise ripped through the thick silence. Ran didn't have the heart to face the source of the disturbance. She forced herself to move her head to see what lurked behind her. When the crunching intensified to a great, uncontrolled crashing, she whipped around and caught a glimpse of something silver and black coming at her with a tremendous power. Before anything else could happen a shrill sounds was heard and Ran was lost in white light.

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Shinta ran without showing any signs of stopping, his face had a stony expression upon it. Mitsumi could only watch him and feel empty. Something was wrong. She was forgetting everything that had happened to her on this warm, cheerful island. It was that same Déjà vu, that darkness between waking and reality. Shinta led her to the shore. The ocean was still crashing and struggling with itself. The reddish moon hadn't moved from its position in front of the sun, the halo behind it was pulsing. The comets rained down and spilled into the vast darkness that was the sea. Shinta stood, peering out limply into oblivion.

"I can't remember anything at all…" Mitsumi mumbled, turning her scared face towards Shinta. He wouldn't look back at her. This moment of calm sickness lasted but a second longer. When Shinta was wrenched into the water by a dark hand, all the sounds seemed to vanish from earth, As she was being tugged into the water, the only thing imaginable was the deep pounding of blood in her ears. He stretched his hand out towards her.

"Shinta!" She screamed at him, panic seeping through her veins. "Shinta, don't leave me here alone!" He merely contorted his face and choked from the dark water soaking around his body. Everything seemed to hang suspended in vertigo and terror.

"Mitsu… mi.."

"SHINTA! I'LL FIND YOU! I… I PROMISE!"

And he was gone. Mitsumi sank into the warm sand and the silence. The waves crashed angrily near her. She felt as though she were the only person left in this dying world. She rolled over, facing the fury of the sky, closed her eyes and let herself be taken into enchanted whiteness.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A field of golden rye stretched from either side of the horizon. They ran close beside each other, she fell a little behind him. The sleepy houses that were tucked into the corners of the woods shone with a yellow warmth in the approaching evening. Their laughter bounced across the wide glens and meadows.

"Where are we going?"

The orange summer light was so warm…

The three girls sat around a campfire in the evening heat. The lights in the house were off, leaving it looking lonely and empty. Below on the trails the windows whispered through the trees and the silhouettes of their leaves danced and spun. The fire's heat was welcome even in the balminess of the sunset. They laughed and told stories, dreaming of that these days would never end….

"Let's make our summer wishes!"

The fire crackled merrily before them…

After a tired day they had all been tired out. Riding the ferries wheel over the sparkling lake was exhilarating. The carriage swung and shrieks of giggles rained thought the air. The millions of lights shone on the water from the boardwalk above. They were on top of the world.

"Oh, you're acting like such a kid…" She rumpled the frightened boy's hair.

The lights seemed to float mysteriously in the darkness….

They stood by their bicycles and stared at their friend. A strange silence had fallen over the three, usually the most talkative and rowdy. He smiled with a bit of sadness as he held his friends for the last time in a long time. The voices around the side of the house beckoned him to come. They both waved furiously as he started away from them.

"Come back soon!"

They watched him disappear around the bend….

The phone calls late at night…

The fireworks on top of the hill…

Playing in the heat….

It was never going to end…

And then… the rain… The august rain…. It had been oddly chilly that night…. Sitting by herself in the darkness…. And then…. Through the mist and storm…. Why had it been so cold in summer?

_Don't cry…._

And at once the darkness became thick and fluttery and the rain disappeared altogether. And below her feet thousands of birds began to take flight, loosing themselves in the immense nothingness of the realm in which she was lost. With every wild beating of wings and rush of cool air a jewel bright fixture revealed it self under her feet. A stained glass floor, glowing with an unnaturally intense aura was what she found beneath her feet. The pieces of ornate glass were like flaming confetti. An odd heat emanated from the delicate glass, the only warmth in this other wise cold world. She got to her feet and look around. Gloom filled every corner of the horizon. The was no discernable space. She tried to remember something; anything about anything. She couldn't.

What is this place?

What am I doing here?

Who…. Am I?

As she revolved around the circular platform with its ember-like glow, she sow a number of pillars leading up into the darkness. They were all covered with the same type of glass with its ethereal glow. She drifted forward and began to climb from one to the next, ascending higher and higher into the blackness of this empty world. A low sense of dread underlined her actions, but what else could be done?

As the platform that she'd started at became smaller and smaller, a new one became visible from the black mist. As she hoisted herself onto this intensely glowing tower she saw five identical pedestals at the end of it. Gazing down at the strange and wild depictions of people and creatures on this platform's flooring, she approached the pedestals. Placed solemnly across was a collection of the strangest objects. Each was quite bland, made of a dull gold and blue, glasslike substance. They each floated up right, surrounded by little sparks of light, glittering in the misty white aura that surrounded them. She passed a sword, then a lance, not daring to touch anything as of yet. Between a golden shield with a blue stone set in the center and a bow with a pale cerulean string was a sort of staff. It had a globelike stone at the end and a short cylindrical handle. With an uncontrollable instinct she reached her pale hand forward. It looked gray and alien in the feeble light as she grasped the handle of the staff. As soon as she pulled it from its resting place, a shot of heat ran up her arm and she felt short of breath, but filled with an illimitable source of might. The dreamlike gauze felt as if it was being lifted from her eyes and the world became sharper and clearer. She squinted through the bleakness and noticed points of light in the distance. A circle of nine lights shone like eyes in the dimness. She somehow desperately wanted to get over there, someone was waiting there for her. She gripped the homely staff with white knuckles and swung it about towards the platforms in the expanses before her. As she struggled for anything whatsoever, a word, a memory, a means of soaring into the vast remoteness before her, a dark mist began to circle about her ankles. She stopped, buzzing with life, her heart an immeasurable force of alertness. She swung around to face the width of the great glowing scaffold a beast of harrowing enormity rose from the intense glow of the glass.

The great glowing lanterns that were its eyes seemed to draw her wide-eyed gaze. It seemed to be shrouded in a cloak of blackness that ended in cruelly jagged tatters. The bony, brittle fingers were half the size of a grown man and were topped off with a needle-like claw. In the direct center of it's chest was a gaping hole in the shape of a heart. Its cloak flapped open at the bottom, showing no signs of legs or lower body.

"Seeker of the sacred arts of the arcane…" It's harsh voice seethed at her. "You dare challenge the Heartless?" She could not respond but merely held up the feeble staff for any kind of protection. But as she raised it her heart leapt even higher. The dull staff had been replaced by a richly decorated weapon which was shaped like an great key with a swirling orb fixed into the end of it. It was filled with all sorts of mixing colors, curling and changing. With the arrival of this extraordinary tool, courage flowed back into her body. She wielded it bravely, feeling a flow of power. Somewhere from behind her back she feel a swirling sort of spiral of energy. She closed her eyes and drew this energy towards her weapon.

"You have summoned the Keyblade…" The demonic being's voice reverberated through the cloudiness, a note or two of shock laced into its words.

"The… Keyblade…?" She spoke to herself, eyeing the weapons with interest. She pulled more energy from the spiral behind her head and forced it through the shaft of the Keyblade. At once the orb in burst into an angry red light and a flaming ball shot from the end of her Keyblade. It stuck the Heartless in the face and it recoiled. Without wasting a moment to marvel over this, she continued to shoot the radiating infernos at the behemoth. It raged back with a roar, swinging it's needled hand in her direction. She leapt backwards, falling onto her back, then quickly blocked another furious blow with the strength of the Keyblade. As the ebony hand reflected off her guard, She wrenched onto it's fingers and climbed up the arm, hardly trusting herself to think. Driven by instinct, she scaled the monster as it thrashed and desperately tried to remove her. She slid along the tattered cloak and into the vast hole in its chest. Drawing all that was left of the madly spinning spiral on energy behind her she forced through the orb in the Keyblade an uprising of ignited magic. It encircled the entire yawning area of heartlessness, burning through the creature's body It howled in agony, twisting towards the ground. She began to loose her balance as the beast undulated and thrashed about, darkness mixing with bright flashes of color.

"So you have chosen… the path of rigors and battle…." It breathed raggedly. It teetered for a moment in the frosty air, then crashed to the floor. The instant its vast being collided with the delicate glass that suspended them both, it shattered into a million rainbows shards. She went hurtling through the gloom at a heart-stopping speed with nothing but the slivers and particles of destroyed glass about her, still glowing like flares on a dark ocean. As she fell in uncontained fear, the plummeting jewels of glass around her sparkled and shone. As she stared deeply into the sparkles of intense color, dotting the impenetrable darkness, she saw the face of the one she used to know…

_Sukane… My best friend, the person I couldn't get by without…._

_Ran… my dearest cousin, my most trusted friend…_

_Kazune… who was always there for me…_

_Riri… never without a smile…_

_Yukiko… her eccentric loudness was always there to look forward to…_

_Norito… Magnanimous and understanding, not to mention sharp as a tack…_

_Jin… Bubbly and talkative with an unending supply of vitality…_

_Kouji… Unchanging and quiet, yet always alert…_

_And…_

_Shinta… Whenever I'm with him, I can't help but smile…I…_

Mitsumi stared at the reflections of these people as she fell downwards into pure nothingness, but with a new sense of calmness. Her eyes flitted to the Keyblade in her hand, the sphere of the glass spinning with mild colors. With a strangely contented smile, she shut her eyes and felt the cold wind rushed past her.

_I'll find you….. I promise…_

_I'll find all of you…._

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"OOF!" Mitsumi had just crash landed on something extremely solid and unpleasant. Near to her, two more voice were moaning and cursing. Mitsumi sat up in spite of her painfully pounding head and identified the source.

"RAN! SUKANE!" She leapt forward and hugged them both tightly. Noise of protest were heard as the three of them struggled amongst themselves.

"Get off!" Sukane bellowed, shoving Mitsumi off her chest and sitting up. Ran lay on the stone floor, whining and holding her head.

"What in the world is going on." She growled angrily, not moving from the floor. They all three looked at one another and yelped in surprise.

"You have one too?" The three simultaneously shouted. In all three of their hands three different Keyblade were possessed, but they all looked somewhat different. Sukane's was crimson red and shaped more like a sword than anything else. Ran not only held a golden and silver Keyblade that looked more lithe and delicate than Sukane's or Mitsumi's, but also a richly decorated shield.

"The… Keyblade…" Sukane whispered, stroking her fingers along the smooth metal of the weapon. "What is it?"

"It's… a weapon obviously…" Ran spoke slowly, as if thinking. "We've got to destroy those… those monster-y things with them, I suppose…"

"The Heartless…" Mitsumi was standing now, looking with a blank stare out in the distance. "Does… anyone have _any_ idea where we are…?" All three heads turned around and stared at their new surroundings.

In the indigo evening the lights hung about in lampposts and lanterns, illuminating the alleys and pathways of the stone paved city. From where they were standing the could see an inky-blue sky littered with stars like sequins on velvet. Oddly shaped lampposts of iron sprouted out of royal green shrubberies and the air was dotted with glowing lights of all different colors. An shop window pulsed with welcoming yellow light as the townsfolk, dressed in radiant colors went about their business. A few small, fuzzy white creatures bounced about the smooth stone floor. They had squinty little eyes and big bobbing red ball attached to their foreheads. Behind them stood two enormous wooden doors with two windows of azure glass work, brightly shining through the night. Sukane led the other two towards a small, open air coffee shop, each table with a merrily burning candle. Another shop to the right of that had a large neon sign reading "ITEMS" above a set of windowed doors.

"Traverse Town…" Ran read carefully staring off at a blinking blue and crème colored sign across the courtyard of shops. It was suspended above another set of oak doors. The three approached it and saw that it led to another district of the town.

"Look at this…" Mitsumi pointed to map pasted over the wall nearest to them. "This city is made up of three different districts. We're in the first one right now, the shopping one." Sukane turned and led them up a set of stone stairs and past an accessory shop.

"That still doesn't explain why we're here…"

"Or how we got here, for that matter…" Ran put a finger to her lips. The three were silently pondering as they climbed up more steps and went by a restaurant and a workshops. They glanced around interestedly at all the different places and inviting colored lights as the discovered the entrance to the second district. A soon as they stepped through the doors and into the path, yet another surprise met them.

Amidst the sparkling lanterns and glittering flames a purple and black ring of light burst into the air before them. Directly in front of the iron work railing more and more creatures, which the took to be Heartless, poured out of the opening of blackness. These Heartless were of the same type that had assaulted them from their home. With not a moment to loose, Sukane, Ran and Mitsumi dashed forward, Keyblades drawn. Sukane ran from side to side, cutting down Heartless left and right. Mitsumi blasted them away with scorching balls of flame while Ran charged them with her shield and deftly went in for the kill. When all the Heartless were slain they stood in a circle, panting and feeling triumphant.

"So we've found you at last…"

The girls looked at each other first, then crept around the corner of the railing to see where he voice had come from. Down below in the center of the stone terrace stood three women, all of them taller than any of the three Keyblade wielders.

"Who are you guys?" Sukane spoke first, stepping forward bravely. Mitsumi gripped her Keyblade tighter when she suddenly noticed that they were the only ones around in the entire district.

"We are… nobody…" The woman who spoke now sauntered forward. She had dark, purplish hair that hung over her eyes, shrouding them completely. She wore a loose fitting black dress with wide, free flowing sleeves. A long, silver sword hung at her side. "We've been searching for you… You've finally awakened…"

Mitsumi suddenly remembered all that had happened clearly. How they had been wrenched from their home of Valencia Isle, thrust into the world of darkness, and plummeted through darkness only to wake up here. She also remembered the stranger who'd triggered it all.

_You've all been asleep for much, much too long…._

Hadn't that been what he had said before turning everything upside down?

"What do you know about what happened to us?" Ran spoke boldly, displaying her golden shield. The second woman floated forth. She had tremendously long hair that was soft and golden. It hung perfectly straight down to her waist. Her eyes were brilliant green and her lips ruby red.

"The time has come to talk… You've got much work ahead of all of you…" She had a husky and cool voice.

"What? How do you know us?" Mitsumi asked, bewildered. The third woman stepped lightly into view. She had wild, deep brown hair that swooped out all around, ending near her middle back. On her face was two upside down triangles painted in blue makeup.

"The Keyblades… only the ones that we seek can posses such a weapon…" She spoke decisively. "Come this way, we need to talk in private." The women led them up the stairs and into a building bearing a sign reading "Hotel".

"My name is Jalene…" The woman with hair covering her eyes announced as she took them through a hall with a collection of mismatched doors, deciding on a golden and red door painted with the number 2 painted on it. "This is Ronalee…" She gestured towards the long-haired woman.

"And I am Aimee." The last member concluded, shutting the door behind them. "Now, let's get down to business. You three have been chosen, by the Keyblades, as the most important members of a utterly imperative team." All three stared dumbfounded at the grave faces of the women.

"A-are you sure you mean us?" Mitsumi spoke carefully. "We're not really anybody special…" Jalene gave a cold laugh.

"The Keyblade just doesn't choose random people, you were meant for this."

"Meant for what? I still don't understand this whole mess…" Ran replied, puckering her lips in confusing slightly.

"Gather the five holy stars and journey to the origin of existence… That is the task of the Ten warriors of light…" Ronalee nearly whispered. "Once you do this… you will find.."

"Kingdom Hearts…" Aimee faced them all, a great seriousness crossing over her face. "Retrieve the one whose destiny is interlinked with yours. Gather the stars scattered throughout our worlds. Then you will reach Kingdom Hearts."

"Praytell, _what_ exactly is this 'Kingdom Hearts'?" Sukane interrupted.

"We… are not exactly sure. Be we believe it is a way to grant wishes," Jalene answered. "And if your wish is to remember your true self and return home, then this is your quest."

"Our true self?" Ran mumbled, brow furrowing. "We just want to find our friends and get out of here…"

"Then find Kingdom Hearts!" Aimee shouted with vigor. "Open the door to all wishes and let yours be fulfilled… You will be able to piece together the shards of your broken memories…"

"How exactly do we do this, again…?" Mitsumi asked feebly, sitting down on the bed.

"I'm sure you don't need telling more than once…" Ronalee smiled somewhat and moved towards the door, the other two rising as well.

"Find a man named Cid." Jalene instructed, facing away from them. "He can tell you how to get to different worlds…"

"Different worlds?" Ran interjected, standing up suddenly. "Just hold on a minute! Why are you telling us this? What's in it for you, why are you so keen on us finding this 'Kingdom Hearts' thing? And why should we listen to you anyway?"

"Trust us…" Ronalee turned to face the three girls as her friends stepped through the door into the hallway. "You got no other way of finding your friends… Kazune and the rest of your team, I mean." Ran, Sukane and Mitsumi gasped. "Just talk to Cid…we've got to hurry and leave…"

"Wait! You know where Kazune is?" Sukane leapt up as the door shut with a snap. She leapt across the carpet and swung the door open, but nobody at all was in the hall. "Wait…" Sukane said limply. Mitsumi rose and walked beside her friend.

"They're gone…" She muttered, not even bothering to look around. She stood in silence, her mind alive and racing.

"What do we do now?" Ran spoke softly, joining the two in the empty hallway.

"Let's get some sleep… We've got a big day tomorrow…" Mitsumi declared, yawning slightly.

"Big day? What?" Sukane looked confused.

"Well, we'll be traveling to different worlds and everything, you've got to need energy for a thing like that."

"What?" Ran shouted, giving her a scandalous look. "You're actually going to do what those lunatics wanted us to do?"

"Well, of course…" Sukane looked stubborn. "We've got nothing else, anyway… We're three lost children stuck into a world we've never even heard of. If you think I'm going to let everything and everybody I hold dear be taken away from me standing down, you've got another thing coming. Ran considered this.

"Something does seem a little off… There's a mystery surrounding this whole thing… and what's all this about our 'true names' and such?" Ran rubbed her chin.

"I have no idea… but we can't just forget about the others, their lost out.. There… somewhere…" Mitsumi sighed, lying down on the bed and closing her eyes.

"Psh.." Scoffed Sukane. "You're just thinking about Shinta…" Mitsumi made a face.

"That is not true!" The other giggled. The all looked at each other and smiled a bit. The entire thing seemed mad, and yet… they were all ready for whatever was coming next. With this smile, this moment they shared, they all silently agreed to see the journey through until the end, all for one and one for all. As they turned off the lights and slipped into drowsiness, all minds and hearts racing, Ran spoke out.

"Is this room even paid for?"


End file.
